Sum1OrOtha

Hoping to get some help here,

I have a 2008 Lancer ES...

When driving above 60mph (highway speeds) there is a very noticeable vibration coming from the rear passenger wheel area. The faster I go, the louder it gets. However, if I apply the brakes the noise lessens but upon releasing the brakes, the noise returns. It's not a constant vibration, but one that's relative to the rotation speed of the wheel, making it much more noticeable at the higher speeds.

I've made an appointment at the dealership to have them check it out, but I have a few qualms about them giving me BS problems, to make it seem as though it's not covered under warranty. First off, I only drive this car on the weekends, which therefore I only have 4500 miles on it after 5+ months of ownership. I know it's not the brake pads because the wheel is not ridiculously hot after driving it, but what else could it be?

Also, another question, what can the dealership charge me for if I do bring it in? They mentioned some crap about a $95 diagnostic fee, and then also per/hr fees for the labor. Are they allowed to do this if it turns out to be a problem (I.E. calipers or something else) that's suppose to be covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty?

Just trying to get a feel for what I should be prepared for should this be a major problem and they try to make me shell out $$$.

Thanks for any responses.

Sum1OrOtha

Well,

After some research on the internet looking up tire vibration causes, I came to the conclusion that the tire most have lost it's balancing. I called the dealership, and asked if this was covered under warranty. The guy said yes definitely.

So feeling happy that it wasn't anything major, i brought it to them. Of course, because I had probably the smallest amount of curb rash you've ever seen on a wheel, they instantly said that I hit something, and that I had a "significant impact" on the wheel plus a "gash down to the cords" on the tire. I was steaming mad, and asked to speak to the mechanic. He fed me some bull crap about wheel bearings only being designed to move back and forth, but not side to side. I agreed with him on that, but at the speed I was going (<3mph) and the angle at which I rubbed the curb, I simply could not fathom that little of an impact causing a brand new wheel bearing and tire to fail.

I looked at the tire and couldn't even see the "gash" they were talking about. What I did see was a very very small "line", no hanging rubber, no tire cords were visible.

Here's what they wanted to charge me:

Wheel bearing - $440
New Tire - $180
New Rim - $480

I said f cuk that, don't touch anything then, and asked if they could just balance the tire under warranty like the guy said over the phone. Of course, they say no, and that they can't touch the wheel without me paying for it because it's no longer under warranty.

I ended up paying the Aholes 1/2hr labor just for "looking" at the car basically and left.

Does anyone here feel that that's possible at that speed. I know other people on here have had some curb rash on their rims, I'm not the only person that has to parallel park sometimes. The incident with the curb probably happened 2 months ago, but I just started really noticing the vibration within the last 2 weeks.

I just don't see why with my 99 toyota corolla that basically doesn't have rims left because of the amount of curb they've seen, my wheel bearings have never had to be replaced, and I've hit some curbs HARD in that car (I was learning).

Can anyone help me out here? Or does anyone who lives in Maryland know a trustworthy mechanic (oxymoron, I know)?

If the wheel bearing is shot, is there somewhere I can buy them online? I searched around and only found them for the previous generation lancer. Plus I found the tire online at the tirerack for $88, WAY less than what they wanted.

Sorry for the ridiculously long post, I'm just pissed off that my first experience with a new car is going this way.

One more question for anyone willing to answer...will this affect my warranty on that entire side? Let's say my brakes go bad in another 2k miles for some reason, and i bring it into another dealership, will they use the same excuse and run up my bill for an obscene amount of money?

Thanks in advance for anyone reading this entire thing and willing to answer.

nj_08_gts

iTrader: (1)

Most dealerships will make the craziest excuses you've ever heard just so they don't have to do warranty work.

As for what's causing it, start with the cheapest first. Find a Discount Tire and have them balance it. A balance doesn't cost much money and will probably fix your issue.

CamShaft

^+1 Also, start taking it to another dealer if you can. They don't give me too much hassle at my dealers because I just tell them I am a mechanic and do most of the diagnosing/guess work myself.

Blacksheepdj

iTrader: (88)

Sum1OrOtha - I feel that you are correct.

But I know that you'd have a hard as tell time proving your case if you sued them for not covering it. So you're basically ****ed.

GTS_rider

I had a similar problem with my lancer... it would start vibrating at around 55 mph and increment the intencity at higher speeds... took it to the dealer and they said nothing was wrong with it... so I just said.. fk Mitsu.. and just went to a local tire guy.. I told him to check all tires for balancing and the two front where way out of balance... for $30 he fixed all of them.. never had any pulling, shaking problems since.. and that was 3 months ago...